Discover why most real estate agents fail and how accountability systems can reverse the trend. Learn how tracking activity-based indicators (ABIs) leads to real growth.
Let’s talk about something real: why so many real estate agents fail.
The stats from the National Association of Realtors don’t lie. Roughly 33% of new agents don’t renew their licenses after their first year. And it gets worse: 87% won’t make it to their fifth year. The majority of agents are out of the business before they ever hit their stride.
So what’s the reason? It’s not a lack of knowledge or technical skill. It’s not even a lack of opportunity. It’s a lack of accountability.
VIDEO: Why Real Estate Agents Fail – And How Accountability Fixes It
The Real Reason Agents Quit
In my decades of coaching, managing brokerages, and leading top-performing teams, I’ve seen it again and again. When an agent leaves the business, it almost always comes down to one simple issue: they’re not making enough money. And when you dig deeper, the reason they’re not making enough money is because they’re not doing the activities that lead to income.
Real estate is a proactive business. You have to go out and get the business. And that means consistent daily action: lead generation, follow-up, networking, marketing, and more. The problem? Those activities aren’t always fun. They require vulnerability, energy, and discipline. And without accountability, they usually don’t happen.
The Pain of Prospecting
Most agents love working with clients. They enjoy helping people find homes, solving problems, and guiding them through transactions. But if you don’t have clients to work with, there’s no transaction to manage.
The hardest part of real estate is generating new business, and it’s where most agents drop the ball. It’s uncomfortable to put yourself out there. Cold calls, door knocking, social media marketing, networking — they all come with fear, rejection, and resistance. That’s why the majority of agents default to low-effort tasks or busywork. It feels productive, but it’s not income-generating.
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ICC will create a customized and branded real estate training website for your team, brokerage or real estate company!
Your Custom Training Suite will be branded with your company’s logos, colors and themes. You will have full access to ALL of ICC’s training courses and systems, a customized progress reporting dashboard, certifications, designations and complete administrative access and control over your own group of users, even add YOUR OWN localized training courses by “drag and drop”, easy to use for topics like file compliance, new agent orientation, MLS systems, CRM training, and office administrative agent orientation and onboarding.
Activity-Based Indicators (ABIs) vs. Results-Based Indicators (RBIs)
Here’s a concept we coach all the time at Icenhower Coaching & Training: you need to stop tracking only your results and start tracking your activities.
Most brokers and team leaders are still focused on RBIs:
- How many closings did you have this month?
- What’s your current volume?
- How many listings do you have?
That’s all backward-facing data. Those deals are already happening. The real question is: what are you doing right now to generate your next round of results?
That’s where Activity-Based Indicators (ABIs) come in:
- How many contacts are you making each day?
- How many new leads have you entered into your CRM?
- Are you following up consistently?
- Are you sticking to your prospecting time blocks?
ABIs are forward-facing behaviors that lead to production. And if you’re not tracking them, you can’t hold anyone accountable to growth.
Accountability Is the Oxygen of Real Estate
Top-producing agents aren’t superheroes. They just have systems. They use calendars, CRM workflows, coaching, dashboards, and most importantly, accountability to make sure they follow through on the uncomfortable but necessary activities.
Accountability provides consistency. It replaces short-term motivation with long-term structure. That’s why a solo agent often earns less than an agent on a team, even with a smaller commission split. On a team, someone is paying attention to what you’re doing. That visibility drives action.
Learn more about the Agent Management Portal
Looking for the best way to add value for your agents? The Agent Management Portal is a powerful learning management system. You get access to all of our state-of-the-industry training materials, as well as tools to help you create your own training content for your agents.
Leaders: It Starts With You
Team leaders and broker-owners often say, “My agents just don’t do anything.”
But I’ll challenge you on that. Are you creating a production-centric environment? Do you have real accountability systems in place? Are you helping your agents track their ABIs, or are you just reacting to the RBIs?
The truth is, the success of your agents is your responsibility as a leader. If you want higher retention, better performance, and scalable growth, you need to establish a framework of tracking, coaching, and daily engagement.
The AMP Advantage
That’s exactly why we created the Agent Management Portal (AMP).
AMP is the only real estate-specific training and accountability system of its kind. It helps you:
- Track real-time agent activity
- Assign training courses
- Create your own custom content
- View detailed reporting and dashboards
- Segment agents by performance, location, or coach
- Automate check-ins, progress reports, and more
Most importantly, it allows you to engage with agents before they go off track. It gives you the ability to reach out and say, “Hey, I saw you just completed that course – great job!” or “Looks like you haven’t logged in this week – everything okay?”
Those small moments of outreach create a culture of care and accountability.
The Agent Management Portal is the ultimate recruiting software system. Think of it as a Roku or Fire Stick for your real estate business—a hub that ties together all your training, tools, and resources.
Brian Icenhower
Get Started with AMP
If you’re serious about scaling your real estate business, you need to stop relying on motivation and start implementing real accountability systems.
Remember: knowledge is only 10% of the equation. Starting is another 10%. The final 80%? That’s consistency. And consistency only comes with accountability.
If you’re ready to bring structure to your team, increase production, and actually help your agents grow, it’s time to explore the Agent Management Portal.
With AMP, you’ll position your brokerage or team as the leader in your market, attract top talent, and create a culture of productivity and success.
Recruiting is about more than filling seats; it’s about building a team that thrives. With the right tools and strategies, like the Agent Management Portal, you’ll be unstoppable.
Ready to grow your team? Let’s make it happen.
